Girardi denies Sabathia only in rotation due to contract

It might be a common belief amongst Yankees fans, but struggling pitcher CC Sabathia isn't only in the team's rotation due to his salary.

At least that's what manager Joe Girardi told NJ.com on Sunday, voicing the unpopular opinion that Sabathia is most contributive in his current role.

"No it doesn't," Girardi told Ryan Hatch. "We talk about our team all the time, and we feel he best serves as a starter."

Sabathia is set to make $23 million this season, easily the highest income on the Yankees. His 5.38 ERA, however, is second-worst on the staff to Chris Capuano -- prompting many to believe Sabathia belongs in the bullpen.

Yet the Yankees have no plans for such a move in their future, even after again watching the veteran labor on Saturday.

"It's frustrating, yeah," Sabathia said following his rough outing against the Twins, in which he allowed five earned runs in just 5 2/3 innings.

If the Yankees were to turn Sabathia into a reliever, it's likely Adam Warren or a trade acquisition would replace him. Warren was a reliable starter throughout May and June, and someone like the Marlins' Mat Latos could be obtained at a reasonable cost.

But Sabathia remains convinced he's on the path to improvement, despite his inconsistency over the first 97 games.

"Earlier in the season I would just get pissed off and kind of throw the ball wherever I wanted," Sabathia said. "And [Saturday], I just tried to make pitches and be a pitcher."

Cashman, Yankees plan to keep Sabathia in rotation

The big man can rest easy a little longer.

The Yankees have no plans to remove CC Sabathia from their rotation despite his recent struggles, general manager Brian Cashman said Tuesday.

"That's not something that we're considering at this moment," Cashman told ESPN New York. "We're going to continue to give him every opportunity to work through this for the foreseeable future."

Sabathia surrendered four earned runs over 7 1/3 innings in Monday night's loss to the Angels, dropping his record on the season to 3-8. The Yankees have now lost 10 of Sabathia's 16 starts this year, six of those defeats having come on the road.

Sabathia said he felt good after Monday's performance, however, focusing on what went well while acknowleding making mistakes.

"I just battled," Sabathia said. "I made some good pitches. I made some bad pitches. It's just part of it. But I'm battling, and I feel like I'm getting better."

Sabathia has indeed showed improvement of late, working 5+ innings and allowing no more than four earned runs in five of his last six outings. He's still not living up to his $142 million contract, but you can't deny he's keeping the Yankees in games.

And that might've been all it took to avoid a demotion to the bullpen, where New York probably doesn't need another southpaw.

"He's still competing and finding himself," Cashman said. "I think early on he had not the best of luck or run support."

Yankees starter Warren wants to stay in rotation

His move to the bullpen is likely inevitable, but Yankees right-hander Adam Warren would prefer to stay where he is.

Warren said as much after Sunday's win over the Orioles, telling NJ.com's Brendan Kuty he wants to remain in the rotation.

"Yeah, I do," Warren said. "Like I've said, I've always enjoyed it better as a starter."

Warren -- 4-4 with a 3.78 ERA this season -- is expected to join the pen following the return of Ivan Nova, who is nearing the end of his rehab assignment.

Warren thrived as a reliever last year, compiling a 2.97 ERA in 69 appearances. He often worked either seventh or eighth innings, and with Andrew Milller sidelined with a forearm strain, the group could certainly use his help. 

Still, Warren may not have to go anywhere if the Yankees decide to temporarily wield six starters -- something of which Joe Girardi recently stressed the importance.

"We know that we're going to need to insert a starter somewhere," Girardi said, via The LoHud Yankees Blog. "We know that."

The idea of a six-man unit will probably come to fruition sometime during the Yanks' current 20-game stretch, when the team has no off-days. Girardi has not yet revealed who the added arm will be, though it's a safe bet Warren's a strong candidate.

And from the sound of things, that's good news for him.

"I just think it's, especially (with) me, when I have four pitches, I can use all those pitches when you see guys two or three times,"  Warren said, explaining why he enjoys being a starter. "You get to explore the art of pitching whereas in relief it's, 'Here's my best stuff.'"